Pilgrims flock to Mina to spend the Day of Tarwiyah

On May 25, 2026 10:38 AM

RIYADH, May 25 (YPA) – Pilgrims began flocking to Mina on Monday to observe the Day of Tarwiyah and spend the night there, marking the start of the annual Hajj rites.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj announced the arrival of more than 1.5 million pilgrims from abroad amid tight security measures and extensive logistical preparations, alongside the participation of nearly half a million domestic pilgrims, including Saudi citizens and residents, during this year’s Hajj season.

Meanwhile, the Assistant Minister of Interior for Administrative Affairs and head of the executive body of the ministerial Hajj committee announced the beginning of the movement of pilgrims to the holy sites in Mina in preparation for standing at Mount Arafat tomorrow.

Pilgrims are being transported using 522 modern, air-conditioned buses equipped with GPS tracking systems to monitor their routes during transfers to Arafat, then onward to Muzdalifah, before returning to their camps in Mina.

Mina is located between Makkah and Muzdalifah, approximately seven kilometers from the Grand Mosque. It lies within the boundaries of the holy sanctuary and is a valley surrounded by mountains to the north and south.

Saudi authorities said the total number of pilgrims arriving from abroad has so far reached nearly 1.5 million.

Following the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad, the pilgrims spent the first day of the pilgrimage, called Tarwiyah Day, engaged in supplications to make amends for their sins.

They offered Dhuhr, Asr, Maghreb and Isha prayers, and overnight will make their final preparations before standing before God (wuqoof) on the plains of Mount Arafat on Tuesday.

As sunset falls on the Day of Arafat, pilgrims depart with the rest of the pilgrims for Muzdalifah, where they pray Maghrib and Isha combined and shortened, collect pebbles for the stoning ritual, before heading to Mina to perform the stoning of Jamrat Al-Aqaba Al-Kubra, perform Tawaf Al-Ifadah “circumambulation”, and complete the remaining rites of Hajj.

@E.Y.M